


It Ends Tonight

by leeminhyoongi



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Full Shift Werewolves, M/M, Some other Produce 101 boys are mentioned too, They also get a bit violent sort of, They curse a lot lol, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 01:11:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13179198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leeminhyoongi/pseuds/leeminhyoongi
Summary: Woojin just wanted to go home, but something happens that night that makes him find home someplace else.





	It Ends Tonight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goldavn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldavn/gifts).



> To Em. Thank you for your prompt because it brought life to an idea I've actually had for quite some time. I hope I was able to get everything you asked for! Have a happy holidays!
> 
> Also, Jihoon doesn't appear until about 5k words. I'm sorry. OTL

Woojin absolutely hates it when any of his professors extend their class hours for more than necessary – and at the last minute too. He huffs as he mentally complains about how his Statistics professor had forced two meetings-worth of lessons into tonight’s session, making his 7:30 pm class end much later than usual. It isn’t even anybody in the class’s fault that their professor had chosen to _accidentally_ sleep through a couple of their earlier meetings. Now not only are they all physically tired from the long hours spent for the class, but they’re also mentally wired from the information overload.

“Damn it,” Woojin hisses as he exits through the school building’s front doors. The autumn night air is chilly, and Woojin had not been prepared, so he pulls the sleeves of his sweater down to the tips of his fingers as much as he can, and jogs to the road that leads to his dormitory.

He lives about twenty minutes away, by foot. He likes his building, but when he catches sight of some of his classmates taking shorter routes to get home, a small part of him regrets choosing to stay in the farthest dormitory from school. He contemplates on sprinting the entire way home so he can take his time to eat and bathe before retiring for the night, but the weariness is heavy on his shoulders and ankles that he decides to take the long and slow walk instead.

“Your students don’t pay so much to not have any of the streetlamps working!” Woojin yells to nobody in particular as he passes the fourth unlit light of the street. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s a bit afraid of walking so far alone at night, but the clouds in the night sky blocking the twinkling of the stars and the waxing of the moon aren’t helpful in a town where the _supernatural_ are acknowledged. But Woojin has no choice, really, so he takes a deep breath and continues the march home to his dormitory anyway.

There’s a small patch of land covered by thick and tall trees that lead to the nearby forest right before turning the corner to get to Woojin’s building. It’s serene most of the time, and Woojin actually loves that part of the campus, but there’s something about tonight that makes it feel a little different. The swaying of the branches and the rustling of the leaves with the night breeze would usually give Woojin some sense of peace, but as he can’t help but feel like someone or something is watching him from behind, Woojin feels alarmed tonight.

Woojin tries to convince himself that it’s only his lack of sleep playing tricks on him, but the sudden and strong snap of a twig followed by the crunching of leaves coming from the bunch of trees forces Woojin to turn around despite his logic telling him to run away as fast as he can instead. But he doesn’t see what caused the sound, because there’s an unexpected jolt of pain digging onto his left thigh before he’s swiftly brought down face-first into the asphalt and hastily dragged into the woods.

The gravel is unforgiving against Woojin’s face, the pain in his thigh is spreading to different parts of his body, and what Woojin assumes is his blood drips and sticks to his hip and lower leg. Everything is uncomfortable, everything is unbearable. Woojin tries to twist himself so he can take a look at his attacker, land a punch on its face, but he can only move so much due to the strong clamp it has on his thigh. He turns his head a bit, and catches a glimpse of a pair of crimson red eyes. He hears the sound of a howl in the distance before Woojin blacks out.

                                                               

Woojin wakes up to the loud ringing of his cellphone in the pocket of his jeans. His body is still hurting all over that he actually has no plans of answering his phone if it weren’t blasting the ringtone he had assigned Daehwi a few years back. He groans as he turns himself over into a supine position and tries to get his cellphone out of his front pocket. The movement makes the ground and the fabric of his pants graze against the wound on his leg, causing him more pain.

“Hello?” His voice comes out hoarsely.

“Hyung!” Daehwi cries, worry evident in each of his words. “Where are you? It’s almost midnight! Why aren’t you here yet?”

Woojin sighs as he learns how much time has passed since he blacked out. So much for wanting to get a couple of things done before going to bed, he thinks. He sighs again because Woojin also hates having Daehwi worry about him, so he tries to sit up to see the damage he had received earlier, and decide on whether or not he could brush the incident off with the least amount of confrontation from the younger boy possible. Woojin ends up groaning at the stinging radiating from his thigh, and he mentally curses at how the mere sound makes Daehwi worry about him even more.

“Hyung, _seriously_ , where are you? Did something happen?”

Woojin doesn’t know how to answer Daehwi’s second question yet, so he replies to the first one instead. “I’m somewhere in the patch of trees near our building,” he supplies as his other hand feels around the combination of grass and soil underneath him. He cranes his neck around both ways. “I don’t think I’m that far into the woods, I can still see the dorm’s lights.”

“Oh my gosh,” Daehwi breathes out. There’s a rustling coming from his side of the conversation, and Woojin assumes Daehwi is rushing to put on some appropriate clothes so he can meet Woojin outside. “Why are you there?”

Woojin finds it in him to chuckle. “Long story, I’ll tell you later. But, uh, Daehwi?”

“What?”

Woojin slightly winces at the tone of Daehwi’s voice. He wants to apologize, but opts that he can do that later. “There’s, uhm, a silver knife inside my bedside drawer, uh. Please bring it with you,” and before Daehwi enters into an even bigger fit of alarm because of his request, Woojin ends their call.

Woojin then uses his cellphone’s flashlight to look at the wound on his thigh. He’s at a loss for words at the sight. There’s blood pooling around the area and some more spilling over the sides of his leg. The left side of his jeans sticks to his leg, and Woojin frowns at the feeling. Upon further inspection, he takes note that his wound is actually a bite mark – of what, he doesn’t know yet – given the multiple bloody puncture wounds arranged almost elliptically on his skin. He takes a deep breath before letting his index finger run over a couple of the holes, and he only ends up gasping at their depth. He’s thankful his flesh is still intact.

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath, before patting at all of his pockets to look for something he could use to wrap around his thigh and stop the bleeding. When he realizes he has nothing on him to act as a bandage, he contemplates on whether or not he should use his sweater. He curses quietly again, because the ugly mustard yellow sweater he has on is one of his favorites, and ripping off any of its parts would be too much of a shame.

Woojin is already getting ready to tear the bottom half of his sweater when he hears Daehwi’s voice shouting his name not so far off from where he is.

“Woojin hyung!”

Woojin swings his phone’s flashlight in the direction of Daehwi’s voice in hopes it will help the younger boy locate him quicker. “I’m over here!” He calls back.

It doesn’t take a long time for Daehwi to find Woojin. He has his own cellphone’s flashlight turned on, so he immediately catches sight of the state Woojin is in, even if he is still a couple of steps away. He gasps and stops in the middle of his tracks, but another groan that escapes Woojin’s lips as he tries to move forces him to rush closer to Woojin.

“Hyung, what the heck?” Daehwi asks as his hands hover above Woojin’s thigh. He’s too afraid, too surprised, and too worried to touch it, and Woojin is grateful because he doesn’t know if he can bear any more pain.

“Do you have anything with you we could use to wrap this?” Woojin asks, and when Daehwi nods and takes his cardigan off, Woojin immediately reaches for it and wastes no time in tying the article of clothing tightly around the wound on his thigh. He bites his lip at the contact, and he hopes it doesn’t end up bleeding too. He’s already gotten a lot of wounds tonight and he isn’t sure his body can take any more blood loss.

“Help me up,” he orders Daehwi once he’s finished bandaging his thigh.

It’s a struggle to get Woojin off of the ground. He’s taller and bulkier than Daehwi is, and the fact that he can’t put a lot of weight on his left leg does nothing to ease their predicament. When Woojin does manage to stand up, he leans his weight almost completely onto Daehwi, and they both groan.

Woojin realizes that there is nothing much either of them could do if ever whoever or whatever attacked him earlier that night comes back, so he asks Daehwi for the silver knife he had asked the younger boy to take with him on the way here.

Daehwi keeps his eyes and phone flashlight aimed straight ahead when he answers. “I, uh, couldn’t find it. So I brought my Taser instead.”

Woojin is sure Daehwi wouldn’t notice, but he raises an eyebrow in confusion anyway. His bedside drawer is almost empty, and Woojin checks it every night to make sure the silver knife he keeps for protection is kept inside – there’s _no_ way Daehwi couldn’t have found it.

“Where do you want to go?” Daehwi suddenly asks him, and only then does Woojin realize they’ve already made it back to the main road.

Woojin looks up to the sky, and he’s surprised that the clouds have cleared out already, allowing the heavenly bodies to illuminate the earth. Woojin sees the myriad of stars scattered all over the deep blue sky, and it calms him down a bit. But when he turns to look at the waxing moon, a tingling sensation shoots from his left thigh. He thinks he hears another howl in the distance.

“Let’s go home,” Woojin decides.

Daehwi looks unsure of Woojin’s choice, but Woojin had felt his body tense – probably at the sound, so had Daehwi heard it too? Was it not just Woojin’s imagination? – so he isn’t surprised when the younger boy doesn’t argue with him and leads the way back to their dormitories instead.

 

Woojin is beyond grateful they didn’t encounter anybody else on their way back to their room. He still hasn’t thought of a way to properly explain what had happened to him to Daehwi, so he really wasn’t in the mood to do any explaining to anybody else.

Daehwi orders Woojin to sit on the toilet as he prepares the first aid kit and a fresh change of clothes for the older. Woojin does as he’s told but slips his left leg out of his pants. He hisses and groans a couple of times, but reassures Daehwi he can handle the pain.

With his pants off and the bright light of the bathroom, the bite mark looks much worse. Tears threaten to spill out of Daehwi’s eyes, and Woojin mentally chuckles at how he actually kind of feels like doing the same.

“Hyung, what the heck happened to you?” Daehwi asks again as he softly cleans the punctures on Woojin’s skin.

Woojin hisses and he allows his head to fall back and lean against the cool tiles of the bathroom wall. He takes a deep breath. “I really have no idea,” he begins.  “I was just walking home when all of a sudden, there was a pain on my left thigh and I was brought down by whatever it was that bit me. It started dragging me into the woods, but I blacked out before I could notice anything else.” Woojin purposely leaves the pair of crimson red eyes and the howl out of his explanation to Daehwi, not wanting the younger boy to worry any more.

“Did you at least notice what it was that bit you? Anything about it at all?” Daehwi asks, although his voice is much softer this time, and his pupils are steadier than they were before.

Woojin furrows his eyebrows. He thinks he knows what Daehwi is thinking of, but he doesn’t want to permit any of them to come to _that_ conclusion. “Must’ve been a dog. Aren’t there, like, woodcutters or something who live in the forest? One of them must have a dog that went loose tonight.”

Daehwi stops fixing Woojin’s wound to look at the older in the eyes, but before he can say anything else, Woojin continues his lie. “I heard some barking too, and dogs bark, don’t they?”

Daehwi doesn’t look too convinced, but he nods anyway.

“It must have been an angry dog.”

Daehwi rolls his eyes at Woojin’s poor attempt to lighten the mood. He laughs a bit, but it sounds empty. “Or a starving one.”

Daehwi finishes patching up Woojin’s wound another five minutes later, and he helps Woojin off of the toilet. “Did you ever receive vaccination for rabies?”

“I don’t think so.”

Daehwi sighs. “I have an exam tomorrow, do you think you can go to the infirmary and get vaccinated by yourself?”

Woojin tries to put weight on his left leg. He winces at the feeling, but he finds it fading after a little while. “I can manage.”

 

It takes them another thirty minutes to fall asleep, mostly because Daehwi had kept turning his bedside lamp on whenever Woojin even let a loud breath slip through his lips.

“I’m fine, Daehwi, really,” Woojin says for what he thinks is the eleventh time that night. “Get some sleep already, please. I don’t want to be the reason you flunk your exam tomorrow.”

Daehwi sticks his tongue out at Woojin, but does as he’s told anyway.

Woojin waits for another couple of minutes in silence and stillness before he opens his bedside drawer to look for his silver knife. He frowns, because Daehwi was right.

His silver knife isn’t inside.

 

 

 

When Woojin wakes up the next morning, Daehwi had already left for school. The restocked first aid kit sits on his bedside table, and there’s a note from Daehwi stuck onto its lid.

_Woojin hyung,_

_Change your bandages after your bath. And don’t forget to visit the infirmary!_

_Call me if anything comes up._

Woojin smiles and grabs the first aid kit right before he leaves his bed for the bathroom. He’s careful about putting weight on his left leg, but when he props it on top of the toilet to take the previous bandage off, Woojin is surprised to see _no_ blood and _no_ wounds on his left thigh. There aren’t even any scars.

“What the fuck,” Woojin says as he runs his hands over his thigh, trying to dig for any telltale signs of what had happened to him last night. He even looks at the mirror to look at the wounds on his face, but there are no traces of those either.

“What the actual fuck,” he says again as he realizes his leg looks and feels as good as it had before he was bitten, and the only evidence he has of the events of last night are the blood on his old bandage and the tears in his jeans.

 

Woojin doesn’t tell Daehwi about what he had woken up to this morning, but he lies about receiving the rabies vaccine.

“The pain medicine we have at the infirmary sure works like magic,” Woojin manages to add when he spots the questioning look Daehwi is giving his limp, or lack thereof.

Daehwi doesn’t prod any further, so Woojin just smiles at him. He’s thankful, because he doesn’t have any answers, not even to his own questions, anyway.

 

 

 

Woojin spends the next few days attending his classes as if nothing extraordinary had happened to him. It’s easy to do so when his wounds have completely healed and Daehwi is gullible enough into believing that Woojin receives the appropriate treatment from their campus infirmary. Nevertheless, Woojin has also been researching on _animal bites that completely heal the next day_. He makes sure to stay away from the articles that have _werewolves_ or _shape-shifters_ or _lycanthropes_ in them because _there is no fucking way_ , okay. Just because his town isn’t so taboo about the supernatural, doesn’t mean Woojin has to be as accepting of it too.

He later learns that the only animal bites that are able to heal the following day are those of ants, mosquitoes – but sometimes, even those don’t _completely_ disappear the next day.

 

It has been exactly seven days since the incident, and Woojin finds himself in an all too familiar setting. His Statistics professor had decided to extend tonight’s session _again_ , that by the time Woojin is making his way home after class, the full moon is already high up in the dark night sky.

Woojin had made sure to bundle himself up in a thick sweater with a jacket on top before he left his room this morning, but he still feels a light tingling sensation creep down from his nape as soon as he sets foot outside. He wishes he had worn a turtleneck instead, as he zips his jacket up to his chin.

Woojin makes sure to walk on the side of the road farther from the clump of trees by his dormitory. Just in case something comes attacking him again, he reasons. He wastes no time in walking past the grove, not even slowing down to appreciate the soft rustling of the leaves. He’s about to turn the curb to his building, when the light tingling sensation he had felt on his neck earlier has turned into a noticeable feeling all over his body. His face, arms, and back begin to itch uncontrollably, and no matter how much he scratches at them, the feeling is not relieved.

Woojin has to stop in his tracks to unzip his jacket and completely shrug it off, appreciating the way his fingernails felt closer to the prickling under his skin. Woojin lets out a frustrated groan at how no matter how deep or how much he scratches at his skin, the feeling doesn’t go away. The tingling has begun to prickle now, and Woojin stops scratching to see if his actions had caused his skin to break. Under the light of the moonlight, he sees the little hairs on his arms stand on end. And when he squints, he sees his pores widening, before looking like they’re open enough to make it seem as if his skin was ripping apart.

“What is this shit,” Woojin says as he takes a closer look at his other arm. He sees the same thing, and he feels like he’s going to vomit. The prickling turns into a painful stinging, and it covers Woojin’s entire body. Although it’s not much help, Woojin can’t help but scratch at everything his hands could reach. He wants to run home, run to Daehwi, ask him for help even if it will worry him a lot, because Woojin is so fucking scared by now and he doesn’t know what to do. But Woojin is disoriented and confused, his random scratching and turning has made him lose his way, so he runs into the woods by mistake.

Woojin screams as the stinging becomes a ripping pain that starts on his back and reaches all the way up his face, and down his torso, even until the tips of his toes and fingers. And then, Woojin feels like his bones are stretching and popping and curving and breaking into angles he didn’t think his bones are capable of doing. Woojin screams again in fear and in pain. It all becomes too unbearable for him that he falls to the ground on all fours. He closes his eyes to keep the tears from falling. He keeps screaming until there’s a sudden flash of white that’s almost blinding, a screech that’s close to deafening, a scorch that makes Woojin feel like he’s burning all over, until he’s enveloped by a warmth and sense of relief all too suddenly.

Woojin takes a deep breath. The pain has subsided and Woojin feels calm. He slowly opens his eyes, and when he does, he feels like his breath has lodged in his throat almost immediately. Woojin doesn’t see his big hands or his tan skin. Instead, he sees paws and fur. He opens his mouth to scream again, but closes it almost instantaneously when a howl escapes his lips instead.

 _What the fuck,_ Woojin thinks. _What the actual fuck._ He raises his hand – _paw_ – to his face to examine it closer, hoping that this is all a trick. But it isn’t. He uses the same paw to feel his face, and he lets out a whimper when he touches a muzzle instead of a nose. He has _whiskers_ too.

 _What am I,_ Woojin asks himself. _What happened to me?_ He scans the rest of his body. His used to be tan skin is now covered in a soft and thick coat of deep brown fur, and under the moonlight, it reflects as golden streaks. He even has a _tail_. And when he licks his lips, he doesn’t only have a snaggletooth, he has a full set of _fangs_ (although he thinks that the left canine does feel a little longer and sharper).

Woojin is afraid and confused and mad and nervous all at the same time. He wants to call for Daehwi, for help, and despite the way the sound makes all kinds of emotions surge throughout his body to the point of suffocation, Woojin howls and howls, begging that someone – or something – hears his call of plea.

Woojin doesn’t see the road anymore, neither does he see his building’s lights. He has never gotten this far into the forest before, and Woojin realizes he’s lost. He continues to walk aimlessly, whimpering the entire way.

Woojin hears and feels the light padding of paws against the soft soil before he sees it. He whips his head to the right where he’s met with dark red eyes and black fur – another _wolf._ It emits a low growl, and for a second, Woojin thinks that it’s a _real_ animal, before a thought cuts through his own.

_Who are you?_

Woojin steps back in surprise. It’s someone else’s voice inside his head, loud and clear, and it catches Woojin off guard.

_Can you hear me?_

Woojin nods warily.

_Good. Now who are you? What are you doing here?_

The other wolf steps closer to Woojin. Woojin notes he isn’t any bigger than he is, maybe even smaller, but Woojin is still afraid. There are three other pairs of eyes – though these are dark blue in color – staring back at him from various spots amidst the trees. The black wolf growls again, though this time, it’s much louder, and Woojin finds himself huddling closer to the ground.

_W-woojin, my name is Woojin. I’m l-lost._

The black wolf walks towards Woojin who is still stooped close to the ground. He scans Woojin with watchful eyes, and steps closer to sniff at Woojin.

Woojin watches silently as he’s being studied, and winces when the black wolf suddenly snarls as he rounds Woojin’s hind legs. Woojin thinks he’s going to be attacked any time now, but is surprised to hear a _Follow us_ inside his head instead.

Woojin watches as the black wolf gradually disappears into the thicket of bushes and trees, with three other wolves following him. Woojin doesn’t feel like it’s a good idea to trail after them, but he thinks that they’re his family and friends now, so he does anyway.

Woojin follows the group until they stop at a small clearing. There are two tents set-up in one corner and remnants of a bonfire at the center of it all.

 _They’re… werewolves,_ Woojin thinks to himself as he scans the clearing. It doesn’t look like a den, it looks far too much like someone’s temporary home, and although he has grown up hearing a lot about the supernatural around town, Woojin finds it hard to accept that they’re _real_.

“Yeah, and you are too,” a voice cuts Woojin’s thoughts. In front of him now stands a boy who, although on the smaller side, gives off an air of dominance. His hair is black with red smeared at the sides. Woojin notes that this was the wolf with the dark red eyes.

Three other boys surround Woojin, and he learns that the colors of their hair are the same as the colors of the fur of the wolves earlier – there’s one with all black hair, another one with platinum blond hair, and one more with dark brown hair.

“I’m Taehyun,” the boy in front of him says. He nods his head towards the other three. “Those are Yongbin, Junyoung, and Hyunmin. We’re all werewolves, like _you_.”

Woojin remains silent.

“Do you know how to shift back?” Taehyun asks.

Woojin shakes his head.

Taehyun snorts. “Fine, I’ll show you.” He crouches down to the ground, and in an instant, he’s suddenly back to his wolf form. The dark red of his eyes along with the red streaks on his fur make Woojin uncomfortable.

_Easy, right?_

Woojin shakes his head again. _I-I’ve never done th-this before._

 _Obviously_ , Taehyun snorts again. _Your first transformation happened tonight, and it was painful, wasn’t it?_

Woojin nods.

_It’s all going to get better after this. You’re going to be able to shift at will-._

_But I don’t want to be able to shift at will._

Taehyun growls, and Woojin is back to huddling closer to the ground. _Take a deep breath, and think of your human form. Will yourself to turn back to that._

Woojin can’t stand the idea of him as a wolf, so he immediately closes his eyes, breathes in deeply, and lets himself imagine his human form, his _real_ body – his deep brown hair, his tan skin, his little snaggletooth peeking from the left side of his mouth.

Woojin opens his eyes to the feeling of clothes being thrown at him. They aren’t his, but he thinks they’ll fit. He immediately gets dressed, and when he straightens himself out, his cellphone, keys, and wallet are tossed to him as well.

“We found these for you,” Hyunmin tells him. Woojin is about to mumble his thanks, but they have already turned their backs to him.

Woojin unlocks his phone and sees at least fifty notifications from Daehwi. He knows he should explain all of this to his best friend, but Woojin can’t even understand everything himself, so he quickly types in a message talking about an urgent family matter that has gotten him flying back to Busan and that he’ll be back as soon as possible, sends it to Daehwi, and shuts his phone off indefinitely.

“E-excuse me,” Woojin speaks up. He’s still afraid and confused, but he also wants answers. “B-but, wh-what do I do now?”

The four boys turn to look at Woojin. Taehyun smirks as he says, “You live like a werewolf now.”

 

Woojin spends the following days in the clearing with the other four boys. Yongbin and Hyunmin help him shift into his wolf form and transform back into a human, and also teach him how to hunt for his own food.

“You don’t know what kind of bacteria have managed to find their way into those things,” Yongbin tells Woojin when the latter had asked why they don’t eat the dead animals they come across while hunting instead.

Woojin actually knows dead animals aren’t the best and healthiest meals, but the thought of _really_ killing one doesn’t sit so well with him.

“You’ll get used to it,” Hyunmin offers before he shifts into his dark brown wolf form to chase after a rabbit. _You have to in order to hunt humans._

Woojin feels like he’s going to vomit. He doesn’t want to kill anything, much more anybody. He had wanted to suggest that they do the hunting for him instead, while he’ll do something else for them in return, but as he watches them run away without him, Woojin thinks these boys don’t work that way.

 

A little over a week is all it takes for Woojin to master the art of shifting and transforming and to hunt _animals_ as if he has been a predator all his life. He stays behind when the other four go far to hunt for humans, and Woojin is thankful he doesn’t have any access to the latest news. He doesn’t think he can bear hearing about somebody’s disappearance or death, no matter how far and how unacquainted they are to him.

 

 _You’re a natural,_ Hyunmin praises Woojin after he swiftly catches the deer they have been chasing. Woojin smiles, but it falls immediately when Junyoung scoffs from behind him.

Unlike Yongbin and Hyunmin, Junyoung is much more aloof with Woojin. He glares and sneers at Woojin a lot, and Woojin doesn’t even know why. Woojin doesn’t worry too much about Junyoung though, not when Taehyun seems like the bigger problem. Although he doesn’t scoff or glare or sneer at Woojin a lot, Taehyun also doesn’t do or say anything to him. Woojin catches Taehyun watch him from afar a number of times though, but when Woojin is about to open his mouth to ask or say something, Taehyun walks away without as much as a glance back.

Which is why it comes as a surprise when Taehyun gathers them all around the campfire one night and looks directly at Woojin.

“Do you want to be a part of our pack?” He asks him, a smirk playing on his lips, a teasing look dancing in his eyes.

Woojin stammers a bit. Is he not a part of the pack already? “I, uh, yes? I mean, weren’t you the one who bit me, like, a month ago? Doesn’t that make you my alpha? Doesn’t that put me in your pack?” Even if he hadn’t been so accepting of the supernatural, Woojin has had his fair share of stories and articles about them. He knows some stuff.

The other four boys stiffen at Woojin’s statement. Why, Woojin doesn’t know, but he also doesn’t think so much about it.

“There are some things you have to do to be a part of the pack,” Taehyun says instead.

Woojin doesn’t recall ever reading anything about some sort of werewolf initiation, but he nods anyway.

“We want you to hunt,” Taehyun continues.

Woojin nods again. This would be easy, Hyunmin called him a natural, and it boosted Woojin’s confidence a lot. “For what?”

Junyoung snorts. “You mean, for _whom._ ”

Woojin blinks. “What?”

Taehyun is calm when he explains. “Deeper into the forest lives another pack. They have four wolves too, just like us.”

“And we want you to bring us Park Jihoon,” Junyoung interrupts. He looks far too pleased with the idea.

Even if he’s in his human form, Taehyun emits a low growl that sends Junyoung cowering where he’s seated. Taehyun may be small, but he sure is strong and powerful.

“Wh-what?” Woojin asks again. “Who is this Park Jihoon guy? And why do you want me to get him? Isn’t this, like, kidnapping or something? Isn’t this _against the law_?”

Taehyun chuckles but his eyes remain fiery and sharp. “He’s their salutary, a healer. And I want him.”

“You _want_ him?” Woojin clarifies.

Taehyun nods. “As my _mate_.”

Woojin sits in silence, trying his best to absorb all of the information that had just been given to him. He has come across wolves and mating in one of the books in the library before. He isn’t sure this is how it works though, he remembers it being a natural feeling, something mutual to both parties. But Taehyun and Junyoung are looking at him as if he has no other choice, so he relents.

“ _Fine_. How long do I have?”

“I want him tonight.”

 

 _This is crazy and illegal,_ Woojin says. He’s padding behind Yongbin and Hyunmin who are both leading the way to where the other pack of werewolves live. _Do you think this is okay?_

Yongbin and Hyunmin don’t say anything, but Woojin smells something in the air – fear. He doesn’t say anything about it though, he’s sure they can smell themselves and each other too.

The three of them run much further into the woods. Woojin is amazed at how thick and wide the forest actually is. No wonder there are supernatural in this town, they have all this space to hide and live in.

 _Woojin_.

Woojin snaps out of his trance and realizes that they have already reached their destination. He walks closer to where Yongbin and Hyunmin have stopped, and peers into the bushes that are keeping them concealed.

Through the brush, Woojin sees a clearing much, much bigger than the one he has been staying at over the last couple of days. There’s a stream in the opposite end, two wide caves take up each side, a small cottage is in one corner, and multiple tents and a freshly lit campfire are in the center. There is only one person in the field.

 _That’s Park Jihoon,_ Yongbin says.

Woojin nods.

Hyunmin chuckles, and only then does Woojin realize he’s actually drooling. _Pretty, huh?_

Woojin nods again as he licks his lips, but he actually thinks _beautiful_ is the more appropriate word. There are butterflies in his stomach but they don’t leave an unsettling feeling.

Park Jihoon doesn’t look bigger or taller or older than Woojin is. He has light brown hair that glistens under the setting rays of the sun. His cheeks are soft and pink, but his jaw is defined. He moves around gracefully, but he looks strong and lithe.

Woojin can’t stop staring. He’s thankful that his senses are heightened when he’s in his wolf form, because he can take a closer look at Jihoon’s face without having to be so close. Jihoon’s eyes are a soft brown, but Woojin feels like he can drown in them. They dazzle like the stars, and Woojin already thinks they’re his favorite constellations. Jihoon’s lips are deep red and plush. Woojin wonders what they would feel like against his own.

There’s a strong shudder down Woojin’s spine. The leaves around him softly rustle with the movement. At about the same time, Jihoon whips his head to Woojin’s general direction, forcing Woojin and his company to crouch closer to the ground.

Yongbin and Hyunmin look at Woojin with watchful eyes, but they don’t say anything to each other and neither do they say anything to Woojin.

Yongbin sighs. _Don’t do anything stupid and just go with the plan, okay,_ he tells Woojin. Woojin wants to laugh out loud because there is no plan. _Be sure to get him back to our base tonight, Taehyun is crazy for this guy, and we wouldn’t want him mad._

Woojin feels his insides turn at the mention of Taehyun, but he only nods.

Hyunmin is already turning around. _Don’t talk to anybody else, Woojin. Not even to Jihoon._

_I won’t._

Woojin isn’t sure, but he thinks Hyunmin gives him a sad smile before he’s off running back with Yongbin.

 

Woojin stays hidden behind the bushes and silently watches Jihoon and his surroundings. Jihoon looks like he’s cooking a pot of soup for dinner, but even if he’s busy, his ears twitch at even the softest sounds. Woojin doesn’t know how to attack, not when Jihoon is observant of his own surroundings. He actually doesn’t want to, but Woojin knows he can’t be a werewolf on his own so he has no choice but to do this.

Woojin decides on just charging at Jihoon and drag him away just like what Taehyun did to him a couple of weeks back. He’s a werewolf, he’ll heal eventually if I accidentally hurt him, Woojin thinks. The quicker he gets to Jihoon, the faster he gets this mission done. He waits for another couple of minutes, until the sun looks like it’s about to be swallowed by the horizon. The stillness is almost suffocating for Woojin, and when he thinks that nobody else is coming to give Jihoon company, he dashes out of his hiding place and runs towards Jihoon.

Woojin is quick. He pounces on Jihoon in no time. The latter had his back towards Woojin, so he wasn’t able to prepare for the attack. Jihoon falls face-first, but he’s swift enough to turn around to look at Woojin. When he meets Woojin’s gaze, confusion fills his eyes. Woojin thinks it’s because Jihoon hasn’t seen any person _or_ wolf that looks like he does.

Woojin softly growls an apology, before he has Jihoon’s hoodie tightly clamped in between his teeth and is using it to drag Jihoon across the clearing and back to where Woojin came from.

A loud howl suddenly reverberates throughout the entire field. Woojin stops in his tracks to look at one of the caves where a hazelnut brown wolf stands by its opening. Two howls sound in the distance soon afterwards, and Woojin knows he’s in trouble.

Woojin decides to run back to the smaller clearing as fast as he can, but only then does he realize he accidentally let go of Jihoon who is now running towards the cave.

“Jaehwan!”

If it weren’t for the two wolves speeding towards Woojin from the trees, Woojin would like to take his time to relish in the sound of Jihoon’s voice.

The two wolves are much bigger and broader than Woojin is. One has black fur with silver streaks. Its eyes are a cool shade of blue. It snarls at Woojin before it tackles him to the ground. It catches Woojin off guard with its sudden nipping, but Woojin is quickly able to regain his composure. He pushes the black and silver wolf back before it’s his turn to bite and claw at it.

Suddenly, the other wolf howls, making both Woojin and the black and silver wolf stop mid-fight. The other wolf is blond with caramel streaks, and its eyes are a crimson red. _Alpha_ , Woojin thinks. He knows he has to submit to it, but Woojin is on a mission, and he either completes it or he goes rogue. Woojin doesn’t want to go rogue, so he knocks the black and silver wolf to the side, and charges at the blond and caramel one at full speed.

Woojin thinks he hears somebody shout a “No!” in the distance, but he doesn’t dwell on the thought too much because he’s suddenly tackled to the ground by the blond and caramel wolf before he even gets to it. It howls again before it scratches and snaps at different parts of Woojin’s body. Woojin tries to fight back. He bites and claws at the alpha too, but then both the black and silver and the hazelnut brown wolves are scratching and snapping at him as well.

Woojin is sore and stinging all over. He doesn’t want to lose, so he just keeps biting and clawing. It’s a sharp digging into his left thigh from one of the werewolves that leaves him breathless, before another hit at his snout blacks him out.

 

“Who’s this?” Woojin hears a voice ask. He tries to keep his eyes open, but they flutter close against his will.

“I have no idea, he just came charging at Jihoon out of nowhere,” another voice answers.

“Do you have any clue, Daniel?” the first voice asks.

Woojin sees three figures loom over him. The one with blond hair speaks last.

“No, I’ve never seen him before.”

Then Woojin blacks out again.

 

When Woojin wakes up, the sky is already a deep shade of blue. There is no moon, but numerous stars twinkle up above. Woojin tries to move but groans instead. Every part of his body aches at even the slightest movements. He knows he has to go back to Taehyun and the rest, so he tries again. It’s a deep voice Woojin recognizes from earlier that stops his attempts.

“What really happened earlier, Jaehwan?”

Another voice that sounds familiar to Woojin responds. “I was in one of the caves, cleaning up. Jihoon said he was going to go cook dinner in time for your return from the hunt. There was no noise or anything, but when I came out, this guy right here – in wolf form – was running towards Jihoon. He tackled him, and that was when I called for you.”

A third voice speaks up. “We should throw him out,” his tone is spiteful, making Woojin wince. He hopes none of them noticed the sudden movement of his body. “Or kill him.”

There is a moment of silence, before the second person speaks. “I-I don’t think he wanted to actually harm Jihoon though, or any of us. He looked a little confused. He smelled of apprehension too. It must have not been his idea or something.”

The third person scoffs, but he’s interrupted by a voice Woojin wants to hear again and again. “I agree,” Jihoon says quietly. “He didn’t bite or claw me at all. He only grabbed me by the bodice of my hoodie. We shouldn’t hurt him anymore than you guys already have.” Woojin feels his stomach twist. He had literally dragged Jihoon through a clearing, had plans of kidnapping him to bring back to Taehyun, but here he was, saying Woojin should be spared from any more harm.

“What?” the third voice snaps. “He was kidnapping you. He hurt us. Even if it wasn’t his idea, he pushed through with it. So I think we should push through with punishing him too.”

There is another pause. Woojin wants to turn his head to look at the other boys and see what’s going on, but he’s afraid that any sign that he’s already awake will lead to his death, so he stays put and waits.

The first voice speaks up again. “No, we’re not throwing him out or killing him. Jihoonie, do you think you can heal him?”

Another scoff, before the rustling of clothes and the crunching of the grass signal somebody’s departure from the little gathering. “Unbelievable.”

The first person sighs before he says, “Help him get better, and then we’ll talk to him.” More rustling and crunching, and someone else departs from the group.

Woojin opens his eyes a bit to see two tall boys walking away – one has black hair while the other has blond hair. Woojin remembers the blond being the alpha, but he thinks the black haired one holds a lot of power as well.

 

Woojin doesn’t remember passing out again until he wakes up inside a cave this time, away from the twinkling of the stars. His body still feels bruised and sore, but he feels a lot stronger than he had been earlier, so he pushes himself up to a sitting position. He feels and sees a couple of flowers and leaves fall from his body.

“What the heck?” He mumbles. He sniffs and is calmed by the scent of vanilla and cinnamon.

“It’s to help you heal,” a familiar voice says. When Woojin turns to it, he feels the breath hitch in his throat. Park Jihoon is beautiful, and the reflection of the campfire dancing in his eyes is enough to draw Woojin in.

Jihoon chuckles, and Woojin sees a soft pink tinge creep up on his cheeks. _Adorable_ , Woojin thinks. But then he remembers why he’s here – not just in the cave, but in the presence of Jihoon and his pack. There is no moon, but Woojin feels the familiar tingling sensation all over his body. He takes a deep breath and feels energized. He doesn’t want to do it, but he thinks he has to, so he swiftly lifts himself off the ground and tackles Jihoon again.

One good thing about being a werewolf, Woojin thinks, is that even in human form, he has his werewolf abilities – heightened senses and immense strength. He pounces on Jihoon effortlessly. He’s mentally praising himself for all the hard work he has put into training with Yongbin and Hyunmin that helps in making it easier for him to take Jihoon down, until Woojin realizes it’s also partly because Jihoon is just letting him.

Woojin is straddling Jihoon and he has both of Jihoon’s hands pinned on either side of his head, but he pauses. Jihoon’s wide, sparkling eyes are what makes Woojin completely stop attacking him.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Woojin asks. He tries to make it seem like it’s his breathlessness that’s making him stutter, and not the look Jihoon is giving him or the feeling of Jihoon so close to him. “Wh-why aren’t you fighting back?”

Jihoon shrugs, his doe eyes blinking up at Woojin. “I can’t take you seriously when you have no pants.”

Woojin is suddenly hyperaware of the way the denim of Jihoon’s jeans feel against his bare groin area, and he blushes a deep shade of red.

Jihoon chuckles. It calms Woojin down a bit. But suddenly, there are footsteps before a bewildered “What the heck is going on?” echoes throughout the cave.

Woojin swiftly gets off of Jihoon and they both turn to the sound. Standing by the entrance of the cave are the blond and black haired boys from earlier. The former is trying to suppress his laughter, but the latter looks absolutely fuming.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the black haired one asks again. His brows are furrowed and his fists are closed. If Woojin hadn’t known any better, he would think that this guy was the alpha.

The blond one puts a light hand on the black haired boy’s shoulder. “Seongwu,” he says quietly, but it was enough to make the muscles of the said boy evidently relax. Woojin wonders if he had followed so easily because the blond was the alpha or if it was because of something else.

The blond turns to Woojin. “Are you feeling better?”

Woojin nods.

The blond then turns to Jihoon. “Thanks, Jihoonie, you did it again.”

Jihoon shrugs. “He healed pretty quickly himself.”

The black haired boy scoffs, but nobody pays him any mind. The blond one steps forward until he’s right in front of Woojin. He chuckles. “There’s a fresh change of clothes in one of the boxes over there.” He nods towards a pile of stuff sitting behind Woojin. “Get dressed and meet us outside afterwards. We just want to talk.”

Woojin nods and he waits until both boys are gone before he stands up.

“Woah, hold on a sec,” Jihoon says suddenly. Woojin raises an eyebrow questioningly at him. “Wait for me to get out too, I wouldn’t want to see your –.”

“Okay, I get it!” Woojin interrupts him. His face is completely red again but it’s the ringing of Jihoon’s laughter as he leaves the cave that makes him feel warm.

 

Woojin slips into a pair of cargo shorts. His wounds have all closed up and his bruises have begun to fade into pale yellows, but there’s still a faint stinging in his left thigh that he prefers not having it hugged even by fabric. He dons an oversized pink hoodie and he basks in the comfort and warmth it immediately brings him. It smells of vanilla and cinnamon, and Woojin is beginning to think it has become his favorite scent.

Woojin warily steps out of the cave. He spots the four boys sitting around a small campfire. The mere sight gives him the butterflies, and Woojin thinks it’s because he’s afraid of confrontation. They all turn to look at him, and it makes the butterflies in Woojin’s stomach do somersaults. Woojin mentally curses as he walks towards the group.

Woojin awkwardly stands a few feet away from the fire, not really knowing what to do or how to act in front of the people he had hurt earlier. But Jihoon’s looking up at him with his wide eyes again, patting the patch of grass right beside him, and Woojin finds himself immediately obeying.

Woojin sits closer to Jihoon than necessary. He tries to convince himself that it’s because he wants to be as far away from the black haired boy’s glare as possible rather than because he wants to be as close to Jihoon as possible.

The blond haired boy speaks first. “What’s your name?”

Woojin shrinks away from his gaze even if his eyes aren’t harboring any fire. He accidentally brushes his arm along the side of Jihoon’s thigh, and he wonders if the prickle he had just felt had to do anything with the boy beside him. “Woojin. Park Woojin.”

He doesn’t know if he’s imagining it, but he feels Jihoon stiffen beside him. He doesn’t have time to look to clarify because the blond is speaking to him again.

“Woojin, alright,” the blond repeats. He uses one of his hands to point to himself and his companions. “My name’s Daniel. This is Seongwu and that’s Jaehwan. You probably already know who Jihoon is.”

Woojin ducks his head. He misses the small smile on Jihoon’s lips. Daniel continues. “So, why are you here? And what were you doing to Jihoon?”

“And we aren’t asking about the incident that happened inside the cave,” Jaehwan, the hazelnut brown haired boy with the plump cheeks, interjects. He snickers along with Daniel.

Woojin is silent. He isn’t sure if he could or should tell them about Taehyun and the rest and how this was their plan all along. Woojin wants a pack, and he knows he needs one, but seeing as how he had failed his mission, he isn’t sure he can return to Taehyun and the others. But also seeing how he is now being held as a prisoner of some sorts by this group, he doesn’t think he can join them either. Not after what he had done, at least.

Nobody says anything for a while, but Woojin can sense Seongwu, the black haired boy, grow impatient with each passing second. He then feels Jihoon tap his knee lightly. The same spot tingles. “Can you not tell us why?”

Woojin looks into Jihoon’s eyes. Jihoon is undeniably beautiful and everything about him is captivating that Woojin isn’t even sure if he can or if he wants to get out. The feeling in his chest reminds him of how badly Taehyun wants Jihoon as a mate. But it also makes him feel like he shouldn’t allow somebody like Taehyun to have someone like Jihoon. Woojin feels uneasy.

He must have been silent far too long for Seongwu’s liking because suddenly, the black haired boy is tossing rocks and dried leaves at the fire, making it spark in all directions. “Are you gonna tell us or what?” He doesn’t look too happy, not that Woojin has given him any reason to be pleased with him anyway.

But Woojin stays silent. There’s a bubble settling uncomfortably in the space between his chest and his stomach that makes it hard for him to breathe. He couldn’t talk even if he had wanted to. It’s only the warmth of Jihoon’s hand rubbing soothing circles on his back that loosens his nerves and allows him to speak eventually.

“I was ordered to kidnap Jihoon, and,” Woojin starts softly. Their heightened senses don’t need them to strain their ears, but the four other boys lean closer to Woojin anyway. “Bring him to Taehyun. He’s another werewolf. He lives with three others on another clearing closer to the university campus. He wants Jihoon as his mate.”

Woojin had been looking down the entire time he was explaining, making him miss the dark expressions on each of his companion’s faces. An annoyed Seongwu is something Woojin thinks he has already gotten used to, but a mad Daniel is a different story altogether.

“He what?” Daniel fumes. “Wants Jihoon as a mate?”

Woojin nods and he thinks he’s supposed to feel fear, but he feels anger instead. Not at Daniel, but at Taehyun, who wants Jihoon as a mate.

“Why the fuck are they even here?” Daniel asks, and he’s standing up now. Woojin finds it sort of odd that it’s Seongwu who’s doing the calming down this time.

Woojin’s face must have obviously been confused, because Jaehwan speaks up to explain. “This side of the forest is _our_ territory. From the grove closest to the university to the trees along the right side of the river a little further in.”

Woojin nods. That sort of explains why Taehyun and the others had been living too close to the school, and in tents with only the bare minimum too.

“And we’ve already asked them to leave,” Seongwu adds.

“I ordered them to,” Daniel spits. “I ordered them out of here, but why are they back?”

Woojin turns to look at Jihoon because he has been silent all this time. He hasn’t even said anything about Taehyun wanting him as his mate.

Jaehwan follows Woojin’s gaze. “We all know it can’t be helped when Jihoon is this pretty.”

Woojin is still staring at Jihoon when his subconscious speaks out loud. “I agree,” he says, and it helps in lightening everybody’s moods. A soft pink dusts Jihoon’s cheeks.

Daniel chuckles as he sits back down. He leans into the warmth of Seongwu’s hand around his arm. Everybody else turns to look at Woojin, and then at Jihoon. They’re both blushing a shade of pink that can’t be concealed by the light of the fire. Daniel turns to Seongwu with a knowing look that the latter can’t help but mimic.

Jaehwan clears his throat. “How do you know Taehyun anyway?” He asks Woojin.

“I was bitten by him,” Woojin begins. He isn’t sure if it’s a trick of the fire, but he thinks he sees Daniel and Seongwu stiffen from across him. “About a month ago, while I was walking back to my dormitories, it’s the building near the patch of trees on campus.”

Jaehwan hums. “That’s odd, I don’t remember smelling Taehyun’s scent that far back. Or that kid Junyoung, and he reeks.”

Jihoon nods. “And it was Taehyun who had bitten you? He told you this?”

Woojin shrugs. “He didn’t say anything to confirm or deny it. It was dark and it all happened so fast. All I remember were a pair of crimson red eyes.”

Woojin doesn’t think it’s the fire anymore, because he’s sure everybody stiffened at that. He catches Jihoon glance at Daniel from beside him. A why is already threatening to escape his lips, but Seongwu’s already standing from his seat.

“Let’s go to Taehyun’s pack and talk this out,” he announces. Then he looks at Woojin. “You should probably be getting back to your pack anyway.”

Jaehwan shifts in his seat. “But we are his –,” but he instantly shuts up under Seongwu’s glare.

Woojin is uncomfortable, and he really isn’t sure why. He squirms in his seat. “Y-yeah, uh, I’m not sure they’d take me back though. The condition was I bring Jihoon back or go rogue.”

Daniel growls. He’s standing up now too. “Shift and lead the way. We head out tonight.”

 

Woojin has already shifted to his wolf form and is awkwardly waiting for the other four by the campfire. Daniel and Seongwu pad up to him first.

 _Where are Taehyun and his pack staying?_ Daniel asks.

Woojin cocks his head to the side. _About twenty kilometers east. There’s a smaller clearing._

Seongwu nods. _Yeah, we know where that one is._

Jaehwan follows soon after. He has a sack draped across his front legs. Woojin wants to chuckle because it’s adorable. _These are clothes_ , Jaehwan explains. _Laugh some more and I’m making you come home naked._

Woojin tries not to dwell so much on the word _home_. It leaves a weight on his chest and Woojin doesn’t know what to do with it.

They wait for Jihoon, and as he descends the slope from the entrance of the cave and pads closer to the other four, Woojin feels his breath hitch in his throat. He thinks Jihoon is on a mission to steal his breath away, and just a little more, and Woojin feels like he would willingly give it to him. Jihoon’s light brown fur looks soft that Woojin is tempted to nuzzle him right then and there. The way it catches the moonlight in faint shades of pink is mesmerizing, and Woojin is worried he’s drooling again, so he snaps his head back to Daniel and Seongwu. He doesn’t have to ask, because Daniel is already saying they should go.

Seongwu said they should rush, so Woojin is speeding across the forest to where the smaller clearing is. Woojin wants to relish in the way the wind feels against his fur. He finds himself smiling like a lunatic at the thrill of being able to race across trees, but his smile immediately falls at the sight he’s met with at the clearing.

The tents have all been put down and everything has been packed into sacks similar to what Jaehwan has around his shoulders. Only the ones on the clearing are a little bigger. A campfire is burning in the center, but it looks like it’s going to die soon, as if the ones responsible for it have no plans of letting it burn on.

Woojin can’t help it, but he growls. The four humans standing in the middle of the clearing snap their heads toward his direction. Woojin has to stop himself from attacking them when he sees Taehyun smirk.

“Well, well, well, look who came back,” Taehyun says. He shrugs his jacket off and tosses it on top of one of the folded tents.

“Not that it matters though, he’s already way past his deadline,” Junyoung says, before the four of them leap into the air and shift.

Daniel steps in front of Woojin, Seongwu following closely behind. Jaehwan and Jihoon had moved closer to him too.

 _We weren’t expecting guests,_ Taehyun sneers as he walks to a few feet away from Daniel. _So we’ve already packed, sorry we couldn’t welcome you warmly._

Woojin snarls. Taehyun laughs. _None of us thought you were going to succeed anyway, much less live. These guys are strong._

It’s Seongwu’s turn to snarl. _Then you should’ve left when we asked you to, nicely. And you shouldn’t have ordered him to kidnap Jihoon. Instead, you chose to mess with us._

Taehyun shrugs so Seongwu continues. _Look, just get him back and get out. For good, we don’t want any traces of any of you here._

Woojin’s face darkens as Junyoung guffaws. _No can do_ , he says, making Daniel and the rest raise their eyebrows. _He failed the mission so he’s not welcome to our pack anymore. Not that he was in the first place. I don’t think you’d want him in yours too, given what he did to Jihoonie._ Woojin tenses at the use of the nickname. He feels Jihoon rub against his side, and it’s only then that he relaxes, but only just a bit.

 _He can go rogue_ , Taehyun suggests. _Unless._

Daniel growls. It’s deep and it reverberates through the entire clearing. Yongbin and Hyunmin step back, but Taehyun only glowers.

Woojin doesn’t know who started it, but all of a sudden the other werewolves are engaged in a brawl. Four against four, one on one, alpha versus alpha. This isn’t something Woojin is prepared for, so he cowers somewhere behind it all, warily watching the fight in front of him. He isn’t too worried about Daniel and his pack. They’re much bigger and a lot stronger than Taehyun’s own. He doesn’t care about Taehyun and his pack either, although he feels a little bad for Yongbin and Hyunmin. Woojin is content watching from the sidelines, until he overhears a conversation he doesn’t think he should be a part of.

 _Aren’t you going to fight me, Jihoonie?_ Junyoung teases. _Aren’t you a salutary? Would you be able to heal yourself?_ He doesn’t wait for an answer though, because he’s already charging at Jihoon at full speed.

Jihoon is fiercer than he looks, so he is able to withstand Junyoung’s tackle, meeting Junyoung’s shoulder with his own. They ram against each other with full force, bones crunching against each other, but neither look bothered. Junyoung is just a little quicker than Jihoon is, because he steps back only to use his neck to throw Jihoon to the side.

Woojin had no plans of engaging in the fight, but seeing Jihoon hit a tree trunk due to Junyoung leaves a bitter taste in his mouth and a heavy weight in his stomach. He growls and pounces on Junyoung himself.

Junyoung has the audacity to laugh as Woojin pins him to the ground. _Oh? Do you have a soft spot for Jihoonie too?_

Woojin growls. He hates the way Jihoon’s name rolls off of Junyoung’s tongue and he doesn’t ever want to hear him say it again. Woojin lands a paw heavily onto Junyoung’s snout.

Woojin is angry. He feels the anger boil from deep within him and escape through the blow after blow he gives Junyoung. Woojin doesn’t even care that he is giving Junyoung no time to fight back or even breathe. Junyoung lands a couple of hits on Woojin, but Woojin just hits back harder. He feels Junyoung’s bones crunch under his touch, and it makes him feel powerful, until a soft call of his name snaps him out of his trance.

 _Woojin_ , Jihoon calls out softly.

Woojin makes sure to throw Junyoung across the clearing before turning back to where Jihoon had slumped against the trees.

Jihoon hasn’t moved from his spot, but he’s standing now, and Woojin thinks Jihoon’s putting less weight on one of his hind legs. Woojin wants to rush to Jihoon’s side, but a loud and deep growl rumbles through the clearing again, making his head snap back to the fight in the middle.

Seongwu has Hyunmin’s body clamped in between his teeth while Jaehwan has Yongbin trapped under his paws. Junyoung hasn’t moved from where he had landed after Woojin threw him, and Daniel has gotten Taehyun locked under his gaze.

Daniel growls another time. Seongwu and Jaehwan release their captives from their touches, and the opposing pack cowers to the ground.

 _We’re done here,_ Daniel grits through his fangs. _Get out and don’t ever come back._ He locks gazes with each of the members of Taehyun’s pack. _Don’t make me say it one more time._

Woojin rushes back to Jihoon who has shifted back to his human form. The way his porcelain skin captures the moonlight makes Woojin’s throat dry.

 _Why’d you shift?_ Woojin asks. _Don’t you heal better in wolf form?_

Jihoon nods. “I just wanted to see what my limp would look like,” he jokes, but Woojin doesn’t laugh. “I’m alright, really,” he continues. He sets his bad leg on the ground to look convincing, but his wince says otherwise. He holds onto the tree for support.

Woojin moves closer to him. He chuckles. _I can’t take you seriously when you have no pants._

Jihoon blushes a dark shade of red and shifts back immediately. He still has a limp as he walks closer to Woojin.

Woojin doesn’t really know what he’s thinking, all he knows is that he wants to do it, so he nuzzles Jihoon’s neck as soon as he’s within his reach. He relaxes when he feels Jihoon’s doing the same. There’s a fire burning in the pits of Woojin’s stomach and it spreads rapidly all over his body. Instead of feeling alarmed though, he feels calm and warm. A tingling sensation covers his entire body, but Woojin likes the way it tickles his skin. Jihoon shivers, and Woojin thinks he feels it too.

 _Is it getting better?_ Woojin asks, stealing a glance at Jihoon’s hind leg.

 _Yeah. I got it from the tree rather than from Junyoung so it’s healing pretty quickly,_ Jihoon explains.

At about the same time, the rest of the pack close in on them.

 _I packed a couple of your medicines,_ Jaehwan offers, but Jihoon only shakes his head.

Woojin moves aside to allow Jihoon’s pack members to check up on him. He feels warm at the sight, but reminds himself he isn’t welcome, so he turns to the direction Taehyun and the others went to, and clears his throat.

 _I-I should probably g-go now,_ he says although he really doesn’t want to.

They all turn to look at him, but it’s Jihoon who speaks first. _Do you really have to?_

Woojin chuckles bitterly. _Well, actually no, because like they’ve said, I’m not welcome to their group. But,_ Woojin looks at the four wolves in front of him and smiles bitterly. _But I don’t think I should stay here either._

Woojin doesn’t miss the way Jihoon looks at Daniel expectantly, and there’s another “Why” hanging on the tip of his tongue. But he doesn’t get to ask it though, because Daniel is already speaking up.

 _Look, Woojin, about that night you were bitten,_ Daniel begins. _The werewolf that bit you, those crimson red eyes, th-that was me._

Woojin stiffens. He doesn’t want to believe it, especially since he thinks Daniel is only saying it because he feels sorry for Woojin, but it all slowly makes sense to him now. From Taehyun’s _dark red_ eyes, to Taehyun’s and Junyoung’s hostility the entire time they were together, to Daniel’s _crimson red_ eyes, to Daniel and Seongwu stiffening when they were talking about his bite around the campfire, to Jihoon’s knowing glances at Daniel.

Woojin’s throat runs dry. _Wh-what?_

 _It was an accident,_ Daniel says. He sighs and steps closer to Woojin. He’s a lot bigger than Woojin is, but Woojin thinks he looks pretty small now. _I, we, I still haven’t gotten complete control over my animalistic instincts. We made a pact that we won’t hunt for humans, but it gets out of hand sometimes, especially when it’s almost the full moon. It was stupid of me to be hanging around too close to the school that night._

Woojin is silent, and there’s a swirl of emotions spinning inside of him that makes him feel completely lost. He looks at Daniel, at Seongwu, at Jaehwan, and at Jihoon. They’re eyes are sorry. Woojin wants to be angry, but he can’t bring himself to.

 _Woojin_ , Daniel says again. _I’m sorry, I really am. If there’s a way I could take it back, I would._

Woojin thinks back to a month ago, to Daehwi, to his stupid Statistics professor, to his life as Woojin – as normal, human being Woojin, and he does think he wants the normalcy back.

But Woojin catches Jihoon’s gaze again, and the tingling sensation is back. It overwhelms him, but in a good way. It envelopes him in a warmth he doesn’t think he can get from anybody or anything else. Jihoon smiles at him, and Woojin finds himself smiling back. He feels like this is right, and that everything will be alright, as long as he has Jihoon.

 _I-it’s okay,_ Woojin stammers. He sees Daniel’s eyes widen in disbelief so he says it again. _It’s fine, I mean, I’ll get used to it, and stuff._

He nods resolutely and Daniel is suddenly chuckling, lifting a paw to Woojin’s shoulder to shove him lightly. _Thank you, Woojin_ , Daniel says. He’s grinning as he says, _We’ll help you out, as brothers, as a pack._

Woojin finds himself laughing along with Daniel. The rest of the pack – the rest of _his_ pack – join them.

 

They rush past the trees back to their clearing, their _home_. They shift back to human form and Woojin finds himself not feeling embarrassed or awkward as jokes and laughter swirl around them all. Daniel and Jaehwan are grinning at him, and even Seongwu’s gaze has evidently softened.

Woojin turns down Daniel’s offer for him to take one of the beds inside the small cabin so he “can experience what a bed feels like again”. He’d love to, actually, but there is a sudden feeling of warmth enclosing around his hand. When he looks down at it, he sees Jihoon’s hand enveloping his own. Jihoon pulls him into one of the tents and Woojin just lets him.

Jihoon has a pink tinge on his cheeks, and Woojin can sense his slight hesitation. Woojin gives Jihoon’s hand a reassuring squeeze, and it brings a smile to Jihoon’s lips.

“We should get some rest,” Jihoon whispers as he lowers himself onto one of the sleeping bags. Woojin agrees and makes his way to the other sleeping bag, but Jihoon still has his hand in his.

Neither of them say anything, but Woojin understands and Jihoon knows he does. Woojin lays down beside Jihoon, forgetting about personal space because he doesn’t care about it, and he thinks neither does Jihoon.

Woojin isn’t really sure what it is they’re both doing and why they’re even doing so. But Woojin thinks, knows, and feels that everything is in its proper place, and that this is right, so he wraps an arm around Jihoon’s waist as Jihoon cuddles closer to Woojin’s chest.

“This feels,” Woojin begins as he draws abstract patterns on the small of Jihoon’s back. _Sudden?_ No. _Nice?_ Not even close.

“Perfect,” Jihoon finishes. Woojin feels more than sees the smile Jihoon presses against his collarbone.

It wasn’t the word Woojin had been thinking of, sure, but he hums and smiles in agreement because it’s exactly the word for this, for _them_.

 

 

 

 

 

Woojin comes home from a hunt with Daniel. The deer they had caught this time is big enough to feed all five of them until the weekend, but Woojin still managed to tuck a rabbit under his chin. He learned a few days back that it’s Jihoon’s favorite kind of meat, and it was just his luck that he came across one on their way back.

Woojin helps Daniel lay the deer by the campfire. He has the rabbit in between his teeth now, and he didn’t even get the chance to ask to be dismissed, because Daniel is already shoving his shoulder in the direction of one of the caves.

 _You’re spoiling him,_ Daniel says. Woojin wants to talk about how Daniel actually does the same or even more for Seongwu, but he chuckles and runs up to the cave instead, obviously too eager to see Jihoon.

Jihoon is busy fixing his collection of concoctions and medicines, but he doesn’t flinch when Woojin snuggles under his arm.

Woojin drops the rabbit by Jihoon’s knee, making the latter give Woojin’s head a soft pat.

“For me?” Jihoon asks, a smile evident on his lips.

Woojin nods. He walks towards the box of clothes they keep inside the cave. He shifts back to his human form, changes into a fresh set of clothes, before sitting back down on the spot beside Jihoon. Their knees touch, but Woojin likes it when they do.

“Rabbit is my favorite,” Jihoon says as he puts the rabbit on a wide leaf.

“I know,” Woojin replies. He catches Jihoon’s gaze just as the latter turns to look at him. Woojin wonders just how long Jihoon has spent looking up at the night sky to have an entire galaxy imprinted in his eyes.

Woojin moves his hand to dance his fingers on Jihoon’s knee. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, since you’re some sort of medic and all,” Woojin pauses because he doesn’t know how to explain what he wants to say, but Jihoon lays a hand on top of his reassuringly. “There’s been a tingling all over my body ever since that night I tried to kidnap you.”

Jihoon smiles. “And it’s different from the one you felt during your first shift?”

Woojin raises his eyebrows but nods. “Yeah.”

Jihoon goes back to fixing his medicines. “So you feel it too.”

“Of course I feel it, I got the wounds. The tingling is because of the wounds, right?” Woojin asks. He shifts in his seat to have a better look at Jihoon’s face. “Do you feel it too? Why do you feel it too?”

Jihoon chuckles at Woojin’s confusion, and even manages to steal a pinch at the latter’s cheeks. “Uh, yeah, that’s because it means you and I have found our mates.”

“Our mates?” Woojin asks.

“Mmhmm,” Jihoon answers. He’s trying his best not to smile, making Woojin try to force the grin away from his own lips.

“So, that means,” Woojin continues cautiously.

Jihoon turns back to Woojin and bops his nose with his own. “That means you and I are mates.”

Woojin is silent, but really, a shout of absolute delight is threatening to spill out of his lips.

“For life, by the way.”

Woojin nods, but he’s still in a state of disbelief. How could anybody like him be mates with someone like Park Jihoon who is just absolutely amazing and beautiful and caring. “Wh-what? Are you sure?”

Jihoon chuckles just as Daniel and Seongwu walk in on them. They have actually heard most of Woojin and Jihoon’s conversation, so there was no need to ask what it was they missed.

“Ask Seongwu to explain. He’s well aware of this whole mating thing,” Jihoon says as he winks at Seongwu.

Woojin is surprised at the deep growl that escapes his lips. He had not meant to, but he guesses it’s part of the entire mating thing.

Daniel laughs out loud while Seongwu chuckles. “Only if he beats me at a race.”

Jihoon scoots closer to Woojin and tucks himself under the latter’s arm. They warm each other perfectly well and Woojin is absolutely contented. “I’m pretty sure he would,” Jihoon boasts.

“Let’s go then,” Seongwu decides, shrugging his jacket and shoes off.

Woojin laughs as he stands to do the same. There are no signs of awkwardness around them, only a sense of belonging, the feel of friendship. This is his _pack_ , his _family_.

Before he runs after Seongwu, Jihoon pulls him down to plant a soft kiss on his nose. “Win for me.”

Woojin smiles and kisses Jihoon on the forehead. “You know I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> My Twitter is @[park__lee](https://twitter.com/park__lee) if you guys want to see me talk about my love for the boys of 1999.


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